Have you figured out we function on a combination of greasy burgers, beer and coffee? There’s a lot of great things to eat and drink in the city, so everywhere we go, we make sure we have one of the three basic food groups nearby.

One such place we navigate to is actually in close proximity to all of those things. In the Cathedral Hill District tucked between W.A. Frost and The Red Cow is Nina’s Coffee Shop. An oasis for the hipster, college student, business person or tourist. We’d mark this right up there with attractions you should show your out-of-town friends.

Just don’t tell too many people because we’d like to keep it the way it is.

A place we hope never changes, Nina’s just feels different when you walk through the door. Cathedral Hill already offers a historic setting in which to be and Nina’s, at the corner of Selby and Western Ave simply feels like the cornerstone of it all.

We don’t get anything else here besides the dark roast coffee but it’s not because we don’t know the rest is good. Just because we’re stubborn about taking our coffee black sometimes doesn’t mean our friends don’t tell us what we’re missing. Amongst those we’ve taken here, a particular favorite has been the latte.

What’s extremely endearing, apart from the friendly service and idiosyncratic interior is their love of their customers. Their website even features a “Friend of the Month” which highlights individuals with interesting stories or simply someone who’s stopped by every morning to read the paper.

It’s individualism and care in every single aspect of the business. It makes our dark roast richer and our smiles wider and if you stop by, you’ll know what we mean.